Omega-3
omega-3, omega 3, omega-3 fatty acids, EPA, DHA, ALA, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, fish oil, tuna oil, algal oil, algae oil, Schizochytrium oil, linseed oil, flaxseed oil, aceite de pescado, aceite de algas, aceite de lino
What it is
Omega-3 is a type of fat. The ingredient list almost never says “omega-3”: what it names is the oil it comes from, which may be fish oil, algal oil or linseed oil. The front of the pack may advertise omega-3 without saying which one.
Why BOTIA flags it
Packs often advertise omega-3 as if it improved cholesterol across the board, and in trials in postmenopausal women it did not: it lowered some things, raised others, and left total cholesterol unchanged. And there is something the label rarely says: whether the omega-3 comes from fish or from algae. Fish oil is of animal origin.
BOTIA CAN
- Detect omega-3, EPA, DHA and the oils it comes from — fish oil, algal oil, linseed oil — when they are declared on the label.
- Explain that the source may be fish or algae and show the Animal and Woman information layers.
BOTIA CANNOT
- Determine whether the omega-3 came from fish or from algae when the label does not say.
- Determine how much omega-3 a food contains, or whether it matches the doses used in the trials.